Innovative, detailed methodology to obtain the PV potential of industrial roofs on a regional scale

Abstract

[EN] This paper presents a systematic GIS-based approach to analyze the impact of PV panels on a regional scale. This study is based on geographic and meteorological information on a regional scale (10^6-10^10 m2) using models which are employed in architecture scale (10^2-10^6 m2) and which are applied using GIS systems. The assessed region is the valencian community l Horta located in the east of Spain. The starting point in the methodology is to use geographic information to obtain the 3D model of the existing buildings by means of clustering algorithms. The weather data from different satellite and terrestrial sources is used in order to obtain a Typical Meteorological Year (TMY). The 3D model of the industrial roofs and the available radiation (TMY file) help calculate the effective solar irradiance on the roofs. The PV power output is obtained using a cell-string level PV module model, an inverter model and a Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) model. A genetic algorithm enables the maximization of the annual PV energy output given the orientation of the roofs. The model provides relevant outputs such as the PV efficiency, total PV energy output, the economic analysis or environmental impact. The mentioned methodology has been programmed in R and is applicable to other regions and can help select the most interesting locations for PV according to energy, economic and environmental criteria on a regional scale.